Organic Cocoa Production: A Guide For Farmer Field Schools in Sierra Leone

Organic Cocoa Production:
A guide for Farmer Field Schools in Sierra Leone

Adapted from:
S. David. 2005. Learning about sustainable cocoa production: a guide for

participatory farmer training. 1. Integrated crop and pest management. Sustainable
Tree Crops Program, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Yaoundé,
Cameroon. March 2005 version
With contributions from Cora Dankers, FAO and Chris Newell, Twin, UK
and
training material developed by the Farmer Field Schools

of the Programme Feed the Nation, Sierra Leone,
Ministry of Agriculture and FAO
Compiled for the FAO project GCP/RAF/404/GER Increasing incomes and food security of
small farmers in West and Central Africa through exports of organic and fair-trade tropical
products , financed by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information
product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or
development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or
concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
Copyright statements:
Some modules come directly from the manual of the Sustainable Tree Crops Program
by S. David (ed.) 2005. These modules are identified in the module title by “1STCP:
Farmer Training Guide on ICPM Cocoa.” The STCP allows free copying and
distributions on a non-commercial basis provided that the source is acknowledged.
The correct citation for these modules is:
S. David. 2005. Learning about sustainable cocoa production: a guide for participatory
farmer training. 1. Integrated crop and pest management. Sustainable Tree Crops
Program, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Yaoundé, Cameroon. March
2005 version
For the full STCP manual:
Sustainable Tree Crops Program

Regional Office
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
B.P 2008 (Messa), Yaoundé, Cameroon
International mailing: c/o Lambourn Ltd.
Carolyn House, 26 Dingwall Road
Croydon, CR9 3EE, U.K
http://www.treecrops.org
http://www.iita.org
Email: stcp-wca@cgiar.org
For the other modules the following applies:
All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information

product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any
prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully
acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other
commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders.
Applications for such permission should be addressed to the Chief, Electronic
Publishing Policy and Support Branch, Communication Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme
di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to copyright@fao.org
© FAO [2007]
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations encourages the
dissemination of material contained in this publication, provided that reference is
made to the source.
Contents
CURRICULUM ......................................................................................................................... 3
Part I: REHABILITATION ....................................................................................................... 6
Rehabilitating a cocoa farm................................................................................................ 7
Underbrushing.................................................................................................................... 8
Sanitation............................................................................................................................ 9
Pruning ............................................................................................................................. 10
Shade management........................................................................................................... 12
Discovery learning exercise 1: Agro-Ecosystem Analysis .............................................. 13
Discovery learning exercise 2: Basic function of different parts of the plant.................. 21
Discovery learning exercise 3: Pruning older cocoa trees ............................................... 24
Discovery learning exercise 4: Impact of shading on humidity in a cocoa farm ............. 29
Discovery learning exercise 5: Impact of humidity and the role of diseased pods in
spreading black pod.......................................................................................................... 31
Discovery learning exercise 6: Deciding whether to rehabilitate or replant a cocoa farm
.......................................................................................................................................... 33
Part 2: HARVESTING AND PRIMARY PROCESSING ...................................................... 37
Harvesting, pod storage and breaking .............................................................................. 38
Fermentation..................................................................................................................... 40
Drying............................................................................................................................... 43
Discovery learning exercise 7: Impact of harvesting time on fermentation and cocoa
quality............................................................................................................................... 44
Discovery learning exercise 8: Impact of duration of fermentation on bean quality....... 46
Discovery learning exercise 9: Impact of quantity of beans on the fermentation process
and cocoa quality.............................................................................................................. 48
Discovery learning exercise 10: Drying cocoa on raised mats ........................................ 51
Part 3: THE CO-OPERATIVE, ITS MEMBERS AND ITS ROLE IN MARKETING.......... 53
The role of the co-operative in marketing........................................................................ 54
The responsibilities of co-operative members ................................................................. 55
Gender .............................................................................................................................. 56
Discovery learning exercise 11: Collective marketing .................................................... 57
Discovery learning exercise 12: Responsibilities of co-operative members.................... 59
Discovery learning exercise 13: Women’s and men’s characteristics and their capabilities
in participating in co-operative meetings and committee’s ............................................. 60
Discovery learning exercise 14: Women’s and men’s roles in cocoa production ........... 62
Cocoa-FFS calendar of activities (for Sierra Leone situation) ............................................... 63
Glossary of technical terms
1STCP: Farmer Training Guide on ICPM Cocoa
Cambium The layer of tissue between the wood and the innermost bark of a tree
Canker A spot where the bark and cambium tissue is damaged or dead
because of an infection caused by black pod fungus
Chupon Vertical stem or shoot (water shoot)
Epiphyte A type of plant (e.g. some mosses and ferns) that grows on another
plant or object but is not rooted in soil. It does not directly harm the
other plant
Imago The sexually mature stage of an insect's life cycle
Integrated crop and pest management

The best mix of pest management techniques which include crop
management methods, use of improved planting material/varieties,
preserving/manipulating biological agents and the use of
chemical pesticides
Jorquette The point at which the vertical stem changes to fan growth
Larva (pl. larvae) Any young insect from the time that it hatches from the egg
until it becomes a pupa, or chrysalis
Natural enemy A living organism that kills, injures or causes disease in other
living organisms
Nymph The immature stage in an insect life cycle
Pest A living organism that we consider harmful because it attacks and

damages crops
Pesticide Any poison that kills a living organism. This includes insecticides (to kill
insects), fungicides (to kill fungi) and herbicides (to kill weeds)
Predator An animal that hunts and eats other animals. This is one type of natural
enemy
Spore Disease “seeds” of a fungus
Systemic fungicide Fungicides that are absorbed by the cocoa tree
2
CURRICULUM
Farmer Field School Curriculum for organic and/or fair-trade cocoa farmers
associations or co-operatives
GCP/RAF/404/GER
Farmer Field Schools

on Cocoa Rehabilitation and Primary Processing
Objective: Participants produce export quality cocoa in sufficient quantities to fulfil

export contracts
Rationale:
1. The purpose of cocoa association is to provide cocoa and coffee farmers with the
opportunity to trade their produce through a member owned organizations
2. To have access to enough good-quality cocoa members should employ best
organic practices in their plantation management and post-harvest practices.
3. The farmer field school can also contribute to a better understanding of the role
and functioning of the association/co-operative and to prepare its members to take
part in the decision making process.
Expected results
- Members obtain greater understanding of the agro-ecosystem of cocoa plantations
and understand the purpose of the various crop husbandry activities
- Members are able to produce good-quality cocoa
- Members know the role of their association/co-operative in the cocoa supply chain
and the services they can expect from their organization
- Members know their own responsibility as a member and understand why they
have to pay their membership fees and participate in the democratic decision making
structure
- Members are aware of gender issues within the organization
Methodology:
- Farmer Field School Methodology. The organic cocoa FFS in Sierra Leone
made use of group dynamic and energizer exercises that were developed for
the FFS programme Operation Feed the Nation (among other rice FFS), which
are not included in this manual.
- Group formation on the basis of the association/co-operative existing
structure.
- This manual serves as technical background material, making use of the IITA
manual on sustainable cocoa production but with adaptations for use in the
Sierra Leonean context and with a view that farmers comply with organic
standards. IPM and organic agriculture are based on the same agro-ecological
3
principles, however, in IPM pesticides may still be used as a last resort,
whereas that option does not exist in organic agriculture.
Topic Constraints What farmers need to know How

agro- How to make systematic observations see page 7
ecosystem in their fields exercise 1, 2
analysis Basic plant physiology and 6
What is a good yield? When need to
rehabilitate?
Timing of Why? : weeds compete for water and see page 8,
under- nutrients exercise 1 and
brushing When? : depend on weed 2
development. Before harvest
Sanitation Farmers do leave A diseased pod will easily spread the See page 9,
black pods on the tree disease within the plantation exercise 5
Pruning - Farmers think that - Basic knowledge of how a plant see page 10,
cutting branches grows exercise 2, 3
decreases harvest - Growth pattern of cocoa tree and 6
- Trees have been - Too many branches compete with
neglected for so long pods for nutrients and water
that it is difficult to - Shape pruning allows for better
know where to start development of canopy: better light
- Lack of equipment distribution and easier harvest
- Better aeration controls diseases
- Use of cutlass damages tree: use
saw and pruning scissors
Shade - What are undesirable species? see page 11,
management These will be first choice to remove exercise 4 and
- Effect of too much shade: cocoa 5
grows higher and thinner and more
black pod disease
- Effect of too little shade: capsids and
trees dry out in dry season
- Cut selectively to desirable shade
level
- If shade trees die slowly the cocoa
has time to adapt to more light,
therefore use ring barking
harvest Farmers claim lack of - Do not include overripe or infected see page 39,
time due to swamp pods exercise 7
rice - Harvest at least every 2 weeks the
whole plantation
- Flower cushions are very vulnerable:
use of cutlass may damage cushions :
therefore use pruning scissors
- Remove regularly overripe and
infected pods, because they will
spread black pod disease
Pod splitting Farmers split with - Ensure you have only perfectly ripe see page 39
cutlass pods
- Ways how to split without using
cutlass
- Keeping the pods too long risks
germination and loss of quality,
therefore start processing as soon as
harvest is complete
Fermenting Most farmers ferment - Why ferment: to develop chocolate see page 41,
for only 4 days, others flavour and kills germ exercise 8 and
ferment longer but do - Line cylindrical basket 9
4
not mix regularly - Scoop beans from pod in basket
enough - Leave for 2 days, than mix every day
for total of 7 days fermentation
- How to conduct cut-test
- You need a minimum quantity for
good fermentation
Drying Farmers are afraid of - The co-operative will not buy if not see page 44,
weight losses that will properly dried exercise 10
lower income (traders - Dry until it is dry! (there is no fixed
pay per weight and do time)
not pay more for better - Mat on sticks is better than drying
quality) floor because: dries quicker, no goats
walking through, easy to scoop up
when suddenly rains
- Crunch test
Collective Farmers think they sell - Co-operative is not a buyer but sells see page 55,
Marketing to co-operative as to the cocoa of its members on behalf of exercise 11
any other buyer, even its members
if they are member - They themselves are the co-operative
- For the co-operative to succeed they
should sell their good quality cocoa
through the co-operative
The Members often do not The services that the co-operative See page 56,
responsibilitie pay their dues. provides to its members do cost exercise 12
s of co- money.
operative Some members do not The FFS is a service of the co-
members attend the FFS operative to its members to increase
regularly cocoa production and quality, so that
the members will receive a better
income
Some villages were When you are not present, you can not
not represented at the object to a decision and can not make
Annual General suggestions for change
Assembly
Farmers are often - without cocoa there is no co-
indebted and forced to operative
sell their cocoa to - the co-operative does not have an
traders interest to train farmers to improve
cocoa quality if farmers then sell to
traders
Gender In meetings, women Women also have an interest in the See page 57,
are often represented family’s cocoa plantation and cocoa exercise 13 and
by their husbands. sales. They may have a different view 14
Women’s participation than their husbands and therefore also
in decision making is need a voice in the co-operative’s
limited. democratic decision making
processes.
A calendar is provided at the end of the manual, guiding the schools when it is most
appropriate to discuss a certain issue.
5
Part I: REHABILITATION
6
Rehabilitating a cocoa farm
Adapted from: 1STCP: Farmer Training Guide on ICPM Cocoa
Importance
Many cocoa farms in West Africa are old (more than 40 years) and have low yields
due to the age of trees as well as other factors such as poor maintenance. This is
especially true in Sierra Leone where many farms have been abandoned during the
war.
A healthy cocoa tree produces 25 pods per year that results in approximately 2
pounds of dry cocoa. As a guideline, yield per year can be divided into:
o Good (20 or more pods per tree)

o Average (15-18 pods per tree)
o Poor (10 or less pods per tree)
This means that trees producing 10 or less pods a year are unproductive and you
should think about what you need to do to improve their productivity.
There are three approaches:
o Rehabilitation: bringing existing trees into better production. This involves

underbrushing, pruning of cocoa trees, removing too much shade and
removing all diseased and pest-infected pods and mistletoe. It may also
involve cleaning out clogged drainage ditches and adding organic matter to
renew soil nutrients. Many of the technical bulletins and learning exercises
focus on rehabilitation techniques.
o Regeneration: Grafting new plant material onto the old root system
o Replanting
See: Discovery learning exercise 1 on “Agro-ecosystem analysis”

See: Discovery learning exercise 6 on “Deciding whether to rehabilitate or replant
a cocoa farm”
7
Underbrushing
Importance
Weeds compete with cocoa trees for nutrients and water from the soil. Weeds also
increase the humidity in the farm. Too many weeds on a farm make it more difficult to
walk around to do the other tasks such as pruning and harvesting.
When to do underbrushing
In some farms weeds grow faster than in other farms. For example farms close to
river beds have more water in the soil so weeds grow faster. These farms need more
underbrushing per year than dryer farms where weeds grow slower.
Therefore: underbrushing needs to be done when there are too many weeds.
In any case, farmers should underbrush just before harvest and at the beginning of
the dry season.
Most farms need 3 or 4 underbrushings per year.
See: Discovery learning exercise 1 on “Agro-ecosystem analysis”

See: Discovery learning exercise 2 on “The Basic function of the different parts of the
plant”
8
Sanitation
Importance
Black pods can easily spread the black pod disease within the plantation
Constraints
Farmers can not sell the black pods, so “harvesting” the black pods seems just extra
work
Due to the neglect during the war there is too much shade and trees have not been
pruned. As a result many cocoa trees have grown thin and high and it is difficult to
reach the pods.
Best practises
Remove all black pods immediately after every underbrushing.

Idea: Some farmer field schools organised themselves in teams, with the men
doing the underbrushing and the women following to remove the pods.
Remove all black pods immediately after every harvest of mature pods
At the end of the season there should be no black pods left in the plantation
See: Discovery learning exercise 5: Impact of humidity and the role of diseased pods
in spreading black pod disease
9
Pruning
Importance
• Cocoa trees produce more branches and leaves than they need in order to
be strong enough to compete with other trees. The more branches a tree
grows, the more energy and “food” it must provide to these branches
which reduces the size and number of pods that reach maturity.
• The best cocoa tree has one stem only and two or three main branches,
with enough side branches and leaves to capture most of the sunlight.
Removing unnecessary branches by pruning is therefore important for
increasing production and reducing pests and diseases.
Pruning leads to:
• Reduced pests and diseases and therefore increased production: Tall

trees with a lot of branches attract rats and squirrels. Black pod disease
spreads quickly in the warm, humid atmosphere found in unpruned cocoa
farms. In addition, there are often more diseased and dead pods in
unpruned farms where the disease can live. Pruning reduces the number
of unnecessary branches, and allows more light and wind to pass through
the branches which reduces pest and disease levels.
• Easier harvesting: You will get more profit from your farm if you harvest all
pods on a regular basis. It is difficult to harvest pods that are very high up
in an unpruned tree.
Constraints
Farmers think that cutting branching decreases the number of pods. Therefore they
are not willing to cut healthy branches
Trees have been neglected for so long due to the war that it is difficult to know where
to start
Farmers have a lack of good pruning equipment and therefore use the cutlass that
easily damages the cocoa tree.
Best practices
There are three types of pruning: architecture, shape and maintenance pruning.
• Architectural pruning is done when trees are young (up to 4 years of age).
The purpose of this type of pruning is to make sure the trees do not grow
too tall, and have the right shape. If trees are not properly pruned at this
age, they will become too tall for you to properly manage.
10
• The purpose of shape pruning is to give cocoa trees a shape that allows
them to capture the most sunlight with the fewest branches, without
leaving holes in the canopy (see “Pruning older cocoa trees”). This is done
by removing branches that trees do not need.
Shape pruning is best done at the beginning of the rainy season, after most
leaves have dropped and trees have no pods yet. Leave enough branches
and leaves to make sure little or no sunlight reaches the ground, as this will
increase weeds. You can prune cocoa trees more severely when there is
shade from other trees
• Removing new shoots and new branches that are not needed for the
health and strength of the tree throughout the year is called
maintenance pruning.
Maintenance pruning can be done at any time of the year
• Tall trees take more effort to prune than small trees, but it is worth the
effort. If trees are too tall to prune (or even to harvest), consider
rehabilitation options. Trees that have not been pruned for a long time
need to be “reshaped”.
If the main stem is still healthy and its main branches are still bearing pods,
remove all the unwanted side branches that have grown later, including
watershoots
If the main stem and branches are too old and unproductive, choose a
watershoot that can develop into a new main stem. Progressively cut/saw all
the other branches and the main stem away. A suitable watershoot that can
be used for rejuvenation is a watershoot that is still low at the time of pruning.
It needs to get a lot of light quickly so that it will develop the first jorquette at a
height of about 1 to 1.5 meters. If it does not get enough light it will grow too
high and thin and will not form a properly shaped tree.
See: Discovery learning exercise 2 on “Basic functions of the parts of the plant”
See: Discovery learning exercise 3 on “Pruning older cocoa trees”
See: Discovery learning exercise 6 on “Deciding to rehabilitate or renew a cocoa
farm”
11
Shade management
Importance
Shade trees have an important function in the cocoa farm. The more shade, the more
humidity. If there is not enough shade, the farm gets too dry in the dry season. If
there is too much shade, the farm gets too humid in the rainy season.
Shade suppresses the level of capsid attack but increases the incidence of black pod
disease. It is therefore very important to balance the level of shade.
Farmers should know what is the right level of shade.
Best practices
If your farm has too much shade, you must remove some of the shade trees or
remove some branches of the shade trees
First step:
Are there any trees that are harmful to cocoa trees?
Remove them first!
Second step:
Trees that remain smaller or of equal height as cocoa trees – even when fully grown -
do not provide any shade and only get in the way.
Remove trees that are not really shade trees
Third step:
Select the other shade trees you want to remove.
Try to select them in such a way that the remaining shade trees will have an
evenly distributed canopy above the cocoa trees that will provide an even
layer of shade.
How to remove big shade trees?
Felling shade trees with a chain saw may harm the cocoa trees:
- the shade tree may fall on the cocoa trees
- the shade is removed too abruptly and the cocoa trees do not have time to adapt to
the increased levels of sunlight.
It is better to let shade trees die slowly. The amount of sunlight in the farm will
increase slowly and the cocoa trees have time to adapt.
The best way to let shade trees die slowly is by ring barking.
Avoid the use of fire: fire may damage the cocoa trees.
See: Discovery learning exercise 4: Impact of shading on humidity in a cocoa farm

See: Discovery learning exercise 5: Impact of humidity and the role of diseased pods
in spreading black pod disease
12
Discovery learning exercise 1: Agro-Ecosystem Analysis
Agro-Ecosystem Analysis
13
Learning objectives
• Improve participants’ observational skills and decision-making abilities

• Teach farmers the need to make management decisions based on close
observation of the agro-ecosystem
Materials
In the field:
• Exercise books
• ruler
• Pencils
• Sharpeners
• Erasers
• plastic bags and pots
• Note book
• Cutlass
• material to label trees
Back at the central point

• flip chart
• Markers
NOTE: It is important to bring Agro-EcoSystem Analysis (AESA) presentations and

notes from the previous FFS-AESA session
Procedure
Preparing to start AESA/ first session
1st session in June:

Each farmers should select a plot in his/her plantation where he/she is executing all
the recommendations from the Farmer Field School (= the do-everything plot). Each
farmer should also select a part of the plantation where nothing will be done, except
underbrushing when necessary to access the plot (= the do-nothing plot). Each plot
should be around 100 by 100 feet. Identify and mark these plots during the first FFS
meeting. Randomly select and tag 5 trees in each plot. Make sure the tag is from
durable material and attached well so that it will still be there after 6 months.
Divide participants into 5 groups. Each group goes to a different plantation and
makes observations in both the do-everything and the do-nothing plot. Each group
selects one person to record all data (this task can be rotated among group
members).
14
During this first AESA in June, start by doing a rapid field walk in the both plots.
Record the following information on cocoa trees in the two plots and the whole farm
(see AESA record sheet)
• Varieties
• Estimated age of trees (indicate range)
• Topography (flat, gentle, steep)
• Drainage (good, medium, poor)
• Shade coverage (heavy, medium, light, unshaded)
• Soil fertility (high, medium, low)
• Average number of stems per stand
• Average number of main branches
• Average spacing of cocoa trees to other trees
• Presence and size of open spaces (large, small, none)
• Average number of shade trees per hectare/acre
Next AESA session
After the first session in June, make observations in the two plots at each first
session of the month. Divide again in 5 groups and go to 5 different plantations.
Observations need to be made early in the morning (about 7 a.m.).
At each session, record the following conditions at the time you made the
observations:
• Weather (sunny, cloudy, rainy)

• Temperature (cold, warm, hot)
• Soil moisture (dry, moist, wet)
For convenience and due to problems with using ladders, most observations are
made up to 2 metres high in the tree, but observations on rodent damage should be
made above 2 metres.
Of the two sets of 5 tress that were tagged, record the following agronomic
observations each first session of the month:
• Number of small pods
• Number of large, immature pods
• Number of ripe pods
• Number of water-shoots (chupons)
• Presence of new flushes (none, light, medium, heavy)
• Presence of creepers and mistletoes (none, low, medium, high)
At each AESA session, carefully observe the selected trees for insects and diseases.
Count all insects you can find and indicate whether they are a pest or beneficial.
Collect any insects that you do not know in bottles or plastic bags and take them
back to the meeting place to see if other participants can identify them. If you
recognise the disease, record them. If you don’t recognise them, collect them in
bottles or plastic bags and take them back to the meeting place.
15
Record the following pest and disease observations:
• Number of pods damaged by pests (above two metres for rodents)
• Number of natural enemies
• Number of pods affected by disease
After counting the total number of insects and diseased pods found on the five trees,
calculate the average for each tree, that is the total number found divided by 5.
Record the following observations only when relevant changes have been made on
the do-everything plots:
• Shade coverage (heavy, medium, light, unshaded)

• Soil fertility (high, medium, low)
• Average number of stems per stand
• Average number of main branches
• Average spacing of cocoa trees
• Presence and size of open spaces (large, small, none)
• Average number of shade trees per hectare/acre
Agro-ecosystem drawing
In a shaded area close to the field, each group draws all the observations made in
the field on flip chart paper. Draw a single representative cocoa tree at its present
state of growth, with the sun or clouds symbolising weather conditions. Show weeds
found and indicate the number and species. To the right of the tree draw the natural
enemies found and indicate the number or abundance. To the left of the tree, draw
the insect pests and the disease symptoms found and indicate the number or
abundance.
Agro-ecosystem analysis
After a discussion, group members analyse and interpret field information. They
discuss the growing stage of the plant and compare the number of pods, water-
shoots (chupons), presence of new flushes and creepers, mistletoes etc. between
the observed trees. They also compare the diseases observed and the number and
type of pests and natural enemies. The group draws conclusions about the overall
situation compared to the previous AESA. They list observations of specific problem
areas in the AESA drawing and indicate the possible causes.
Agro-ecosystem decision-making
The final stage of the AESA is the decision-making. Group members should ask:
What needs to be done to do to address the observed problems?

If something needs to be done, how, when and what will be the impact on
the agro-ecosystem?
Did we observe something that we do not understand?
List action decisions under the group recommendation column in the AESA drawing.
16
Small groups report
A representative of each small group presents its findings and conclusions to the
whole group for further discussion, questioning and refinement. Participants are
encouraged to challenge and ask the presenting group questions. Sometimes, the
decision made by a group is modified or rejected by the rest of the school. If a group
made any observations that they did not understand, this is the moment to ask help
from their colleagues
An important role of the facilitator is to draw out differences observed between the FP
and ICPM plots by asking, for example:
Is there a difference in the average and total number of small/large/mature

pods counted on trees in the FP and ICPM plots? How do we explain this
difference?
Is there a difference in the number of pods affected by disease? How do we
explain this difference?
Is there a difference in the number of pods damaged by pests? How do we
explain this difference?
After presentations, the school must agree on what action decisions to be

implemented and when. These decisions are implemented by each farmer on their
own do-everything plot. The participants, whose plantation was not observed this
time, will do the observation alone after the FFS session and record the data and
observations and bring the notes to the next session. If the observations in the do-
everything plot are similar to the 5 plots discussed at the FFS, the farmer will
implement the same decisions on the do-everything plot.
If there are still questions, the facilitator will try to contact the facilitator in a
neighbouring village to find out if the other school has made similar observations and
if they have found the answer to the question.
It is important, however, to realise that not all topics identified by AESA can be
addressed during the FFS training cycle. Participants may continue some topics, for
example those requiring long-term research or demonstrations, after the FFS training
cycle.
17
Record sheet: General, environmental and agronomic data
Date:……………………………. Group: ………………………
Village:…………………………… Farmer: ………………………
Type of plot (do-everything or do-nothing): ……………………..
General information on plots and wider

farm (to be collected at first AESA)
Varieties
Estimated age of trees (indicate range)
Topography (flat, gentle, steep)
Drainage (good, medium, poor)
General information on plot and wider
farm (to be collected at first AESA and
when changes have been made)
Shade coverage (heavy, medium, light)
Soil fertility (high, medium, low)
Average number of stems per stand
Average number of main branches
Average spacing of cocoa trees to other
trees
Presence and size of open spaces (large,
small, none)
Average number of shade trees per hectare
Environmental data (to be collected every
session)
Weather (sunny, cloudy, rainy)
Temperature (cold, warm, hot)
Soil moisture (dry, moist, wet)
Agronomic parameters (to be collected Selected cocoa trees total average

every session) 1 2 3 4 5
No. of small pods*

No. of large, immature pods*
No. of ripe pods*
No. of water shoots*
Presence of new flushes (none, light = 25%
< of canopy, medium = most branches,
heavy = nearly all branches)
Presence of creepers and mistletoes (none,
low, medium, high)
18
Number of pods damaged by pests
Crop health (above 2 m for rodents only)
List pests:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Number of natural enemies

List natural enemies
1.
2.
3.
4.
Number of pods affected by disease

List diseases:
1.
2.
3.
4.
List weeds:
1.
2.
3.
4.
*Up to 2 metres
19
Agro-Ecosystem Drawing
Group name: Type of plot: do-nothing or do-everything
Date: farmer:
Weather (draw the weather at the time when you made your observation)
(refer to record sheets)
Draw one large

picture of cocoa tree
Left of the
tree Right of tree
Draw the Draw the
insect pests natural
and the enemies
disease found and
symptoms indicate the
found and number or
indicate the abundance
number or (refer to
abundance record
(refer to record sheets)
sheets)
At the base of the plant draw the weeds found and

indicate the number and the species (refer to record
sheets)
20
Discovery learning exercise 2: Basic function of different parts of the
plant
Objective:
Improve understanding of how the different parts of the cocoa plant work together
Materials
• Cocoa seedlings in polyethylene bags

• Flip chart paper
• Markers
• Magnifying glass
• Cupboard or box big enough to hold the seedlings upright into which no
light enters.
Procedure
Draw the different parts of the seedling above the soil, but leave room at the bottom
of the paper
Carefully remove the bag and soil from the roots of the seedling. Wash the roots.
Observe the roots with a magnifying glass. Now draw also the roots.
(leave a few seedlings in the bags)
Discuss what are the functions of each part:

• leaves
• stem
• roots
• fruits
Of the remaining seedlings put half of them in a closed cupboard or box where no
light enters at all. Place the other half of the seedlings outside under a tree. Place
also a few seedlings without soil under the tree. Water all seedlings once every two
days (if it rains often, only the seedlings in the cupboard/box)
After two weeks observe the difference between the seedlings.
21
Guide questions for discussion
1) What would happen if the plant had no roots?

2) What did you see through the magnifying glass when you were watching
the roots?
3) What happened to the seedlings without soil? Why?
4) What happened with the seedlings in the cupboard? Why?
5) What colour are healthy leaves?
6) What colour are dead leaves?
7) What happens when you ring bark a tree? Why?
22
Diagram of a cocoa tree
Author of illustration: G. Mossu
Source of illustration: Ecoport (http://ecoport.org)
23
Discovery learning exercise 3: Pruning older cocoa trees
Source: 1STCP: Farmer Training Guide on ICPM Cocoa
Learning objective
To help farmers understand and implement pruning of cocoa trees more than 5 years
old
Materials
• Un-pruned cocoa trees

• Machete/cutlass, small saws (use pruning saws if available) or other pruning
tools such as pruning shears and extended pruning shears on a stick with
pull rope for reaching higher branches
• Ladder
• Markers
• Paint or other material to label trees
Procedure
Discussion
Start a discussion on local practices, knowledge and beliefs on pruning.
Guide questions for discussion:
What is pruning? Why would you prune your trees? What benefits does pruning
offer?
What are the hazards or problems you have experienced? How do you prune your
trees? When is the best time to prune? What tools have you used? How did you
learn to prune your trees?
Write responses on a flip chart. This recognises the farmers’ existing beliefs,
knowledge, and experience regarding pruning. It also gives the facilitator a baseline
idea of the pruning capabilities of participants.
24
Farmer decision making
For trees that have not been pruned before, farmers need to determine which
branches should be cut off. Look at the following series of eight pictures to learn how
to determine which branches to prune.
25
Source of illustrations: ACDI/VOCA, SUCCESS Project
Look for the following branches to prune:

Branches that curve, crossing from one side of the crown to the other
Branches that have large rotting parts or that are heavily wounded
After pruning, sunlight should penetrate the trees so that it is seen on the ground like
spots on a leopard’s skin.
26
Activities in the cocoa farm
In the ICPM plot, identify a cluster of 10 neighbouring cocoa trees to be pruned and
label them “pruned”. In the farmer practice plot (but near the ICPM plot), identify
another cluster of 10 neighbouring trees that will serve as the un-pruned control and
label them “un-pruned”.
Establish in the ‘pruned’ area, which twigs and branches need to be cut off to allow
the sunlight to penetrate the canopy. Refer to the diagrams. Assess how much land
space is needed per tree to not compete with other trees for light, water and
nutrients.
Perform the pruning in the “pruned” area using the correct method. The pruning
wound to the tree should be smooth and at the base of the limb to be pruned. This
can be easily shown by comparing the wound made by a pruning saw (see picture
below) with a typical machete pruning wound.
A Pruning Saw
Observations
Observe the two plots during all future agro-ecosystem analysis specifically for:
Flower and cocoa pod production
Tree health
Humidity within the plot (for example, observe how quickly dew dries in the
pruned versus the unpruned plot?)
27
1) Considering the amount of labour involved in pruning, do you think it is

a worthwhile exercise? Why / why not?
2) What will be the consequences if the farmer does not prune his/her
trees?
3) Can the farmer expect a high yield if he/she is not able to perform
pruning?
4) What diseases or insects are able to enter the rotting wounds created
by the decaying pruning stumps?
5) If a farmer feels that he/she does not need to invest any energy or
capital in his/her farm, do you think this is sensible or not? Why / why
not?
28
Discovery learning exercise 4: Impact of shading on humidity in a cocoa
farm
Cocoa in much of West Africa is grown in a mixed crop system with shade trees.
Many of these shade trees include economically valuable species such as the African
plum (Dacryodes edulis), kola nut (Cola nitida), and guava (Psidium guajava), as well
as several timber species (e.g. Chlorophora excelsa). Others are left for their
compatibility as shade species. There is, however, a trade-off between shade and
pest and disease management. Shade has been shown to suppress the level of
attack by mirids while, on the other hand, increasing the incidence of black pod
disease, because of the effect on humidity.
Learning objective
To help farmers understand the relationship between shade and humidity in a cocoa
farm and its relation to specific cocoa pests
Materials
• Cocoa farm with different shading levels

• Small hand sprayer
• Water
• 3 watches
• Markers
Procedure
In the cocoa farm, select three niches with different shading levels:
Excessive shading
Moderate shading
Little or no shading
Divide participants into 3 groups and assign them to one of the shade niches. One
person in each group should have a watch.
Spray cocoa pods with water using a hand sprayer until the water forms a droplet on
the tip of the pods. Ask each group to record the time it takes for the cocoa pods to
dry in each niche.
While waiting for the cocoa pods to dry, ask each group to describe the neighbour
tree species present in the each niche by making the following observations:
Neighbour trees density (spacing)

Neighbour trees height
Neighbour trees crown shape
29
Neighbour trees leaf area/Neighbour tree species
Determine the cocoa density/spacing
Describe the cocoa crown shape and canopy cover
Estimate the weed pressure
Ask each group to estimate the intensity of important pests and diseases in each
niche.
At the end of the exercise, return to a central location in the cocoa farm and note the
collected data on poster paper.
Which cocoa pods were the first to dry?
To what do you attribute this/those differences:
Neighbour tree density?

Neighbour tree height?
Neighbour tree crown shape?
Neighbour tree leaf area?
Neighbour tree species?
Other factors?
Did you observe any differences in pest infestation levels within the three
niches?
Did you observe any differences in the black pod disease infestation levels
within the three niches?
Is it possible to manipulate the shade situation on this farm so that pest and
disease infestation levels are reduced? If yes, how?
30
Discovery learning exercise 5: Impact of humidity and the role of
diseased pods in spreading black pod
Learning objective
To demonstrate the impact of humidity on black pod disease development and the
role of diseased pods in spreading black pod
Materials
• 3 plastic bowls/containers with lids

• Knife
• Tissue paper
• 3 healthy green cocoa pods
• Actively sporulating cocoa pods (infected pods with disease seeds
=spores) If you cannot find sporulating cocoa pods, take an infected pod
and put it in a plastic bag with wet tissue and keep it in a shaded place for
a day or two until white powdery spore masses form
• Water
• Labels and marker
• Notebook and pen
Procedure
Place tissue paper at the bottom of three plastic bowls. Wet the tissue paper in two of
the three bowls with water to create a humid atmosphere. Label one bowl “infected”,
the second bowl “control with no water” and the third bowl “control with water”.
Put a healthy green pod in each of the three bowls. With a knife, cut two small
portions of the actively sporulating infected pod (portion of pod with white powder –
seeds of the disease). Place one each of the cut diseased portion on the pods in the
bowls labelled “infected” and “control with no water”, making sure that the diseased
surface is in direct and close contact with the healthy pod. Cover the bowl labelled
“infected” and “control with water” to create a humid environment. Leave the bowl
labelled “control with no water” open.
31
Bowl 1: Infected Bowl 2: Control with no Bowl 3: Control with
water water
Source of illustration: P. Tondje
Observations
Observe the set up daily for 5 days.
Check for growth of emerging infected areas on the pods. Measure the
diameter of the infected areas, noting how many cm it grows each day.
Check for development of white powdery spore masses.
1) Is there a difference between the growth of emerging symptoms in the

three bowls? If yes, why? What does the difference mean for black pod
development in a cocoa farm?
2) Is there a difference in the starting time of sporulation between the

bowls? If yes, what does this mean for the spread of black pod disease
in a cocoa farm?
3) Are there any methods to reduce humidity in a cocoa farm? If yes, what
kind of impact would you expect on the development of black pod if
humidity is reduced?
32
Discovery learning exercise 6: Deciding whether to rehabilitate or replant
a cocoa farm
Many cocoa farmers in West and Central Africa have old farms inherited from their
fathers, while others have abandoned their farms during periods of war or for various
reasons, including low cocoa prices, low production, lack of labour or farm ownership
disputes. They are faced with the difficult decision of how to improve cocoa
productivity. Farmers need to make a series of decisions based on systematic
observations of their farms to improve productivity.
Learning objective
To help farmers make decisions on renewing cocoa farms based on a systematic

process that considers tree performance and income goals
Note: As a general guideline, this protocol should be covered toward the end of an
FFS cycle and after farmers have learned about pruning.
Materials
• Cocoa field
• Calculator (if available)
• Paper/flip chart
Procedure
Conduct an interactive session and a field exercise to collect information on age of
the trees, production per area (hectares or acres) and yield. This protocol may
require two sessions to complete.
Calculating cocoa productivity and income

Start a discussion about productivity of cocoa farms, listing all factors that contribute
to it. These include: age of trees, production per area (acre/hectare), pests and
diseases, quality of farm management (as indicated by number of times the farm is
brushed, frequency of pruning, frequency of removing of damaged, diseased pods
and parasitic plants), field drainage, presence of other trees for shade, fruit and other
uses. List all responses on a flip chart. Ask farmers how they make decisions about
replanting and discuss the positive and negative aspects of their decision making
process.
Estimate annual yield of the field per area (acre or hectare) or pods per tree. Note
that a healthy cocoa tree produces 25 pods per year that results in approximately 1
kg of dry cocoa. As a guideline, yield per year can be divided into: good (20 or more
pods per tree), average (15-18 pods per tree) and poor (10 or less pods per tree).
Ask farmers to set an average income goal for a 1-hectare/acre farm for use during
this exercise based on desirable yields and farm gate price. For example, a fully
planted hectare of land planted in 3 metre x 3 metre spacing will have approximately
33
1100 cocoa trees. 1100 trees at 800 grams/tree (in this example we assume 20 pods
per tree) results in 880 kg/ha (0.80 x 1100). With a farm gate price of leones…/kg the
farmer income would be leones…/year.
Compare this desirable income with farmers’ average income based on farmers’
records of the sacks sold, weight sold or gross income from cocoa sales. Calculate
size of the cocoa field by using the most appropriate method. Determine the number
of productive trees by counting the trees in a hectare/acre that produce10 or more
pods. Do not count small underdeveloped trees, diseased trees etc. By knowing the
field size and the number of productive trees, you can determine the number of
productive trees per land area (hectare or acres).
Write up all the above results on the flip chart.
Making the decision to replant or rehabilitate
Ask farmers what they do when they notice a reduction in production.
Referring back to the discussion on what factors contribute to cocoa productivity,

point out that the most important factor determining productivity of a farm is good
farming practice. Others include the age of trees, the number of productive trees per
land area and yield per tree.
Using the information collected when calculating cocoa productivity and income, go
through the following decision tree to decide whether to replant or rehabilitate the
farm.
Since replanting is best taught using demonstrations, farmers who are interested in
replanting should be directed to extension staff that have been trained on this topic.
Note: Replanting offers the opportunity to introduce better varieties: ask if they are
available
34
Decision making process for replanting or rehabilitation
35
1. Why do some farmers not take care of their cocoa farms?
2. What factors affect the productivity of cocoa trees?
3. What do farmers do when they notice a decline in cocoa productivity?
4. When should a farmer replant a farm?
5. How do farmers make decisions about replanting? Can this decision making
process be improved? How?
6. Is replanting worthwhile, considering the cost? Why / why not?
7. Where can farmers get training or information on replanting techniques

in this area?
8. Compare replanting with heavy pruning. Which is better? Why?
36
Part 2: HARVESTING AND PRIMARY PROCESSING
37
Harvesting, pod storage and breaking
Importance of correct harvesting practices
• Harvesting is the start of the post-harvest process that determines the

quality of the beans to be sold, which will be used by the cocoa and
chocolate industry. Getting any of the post-harvest steps wrong can lead
to poor quality beans
• If you harvest too early, or too frequently, you are likely to collect unripe
pods. Pods that are still green or partly green have more solid pulp (with
less sugar content) and the beans may be hard to break up. Unripe pulp
gives rise to clumps of beans and leads to poor fermentation
• Harvesting early in the season and at the end can mean that you will not
have enough pods/beans to make a good fermentation heap
• Harvesting too late leads to overripe pods with the pulp drying up, and in
extreme cases, the beans may start to germinate. Lack of pulp will not give a
good fermentation. Also, germinated beans will not ferment well, and the hole
caused by the emerging shoot will allow mould inside the bean
• Before fermenting, you can store unopened pods for no longer than 5 - 7 days
as storage allows the pulp to increase in sugar content, which causes faster
fermentation. Storing pods for longer than 7 days may allow mould to damage
the beans and/or encourage the beans to germinate.
Farmer practices
• Some farmers harvest pods too early for various reasons including
the desire to sell their cocoa quickly to get money. This leads to poor
fermentation. Other farmers delay harvesting due to lack of labour,
waiting for the rains to stop or for other reasons. Harvesting late may
lead to poor fermentation and loss of beans as a result of mould and
germination. Leaving over-ripe pods on trees also encourages
disease
• Some farmers damage the beans when using a cutlass for pod
breaking by cutting too deeply. Damaged beans should be thrown
away. It is better not to use a cutlass at all
• Children should never use cutlasses to break pods, as they may
injure themselves. They may be involved in pod breaking after
school, using a short stick
• Many farmers store pods for too long which may cause the beans to
start to germinate.
Best practices
Harvest the whole farm at least every two weeks
Break the pods and start fermentation as soon as the whole farm is harvested
38
If possible, avoid the use of a machete to open pods, because of the danger
of damaging beans and cutting the hand. Use a short stick, a stone or a piece
of angle iron, filed to form an edge that is about the same depth as the
thickness of the husk of an average cocoa pod.
See: Discovery learning activity 7: Impact of harvesting time on fermentation and

cocoa quality
39
Fermentation
Importance
• Proper fermentation is important because it stops germination and gives

the beans a good taste when roasted
• Fermentation is necessary to begin the process of developing the
cocoa/chocolate flavour needed by chocolate manufacturers
Cocoa/chocolate flavour develops fully when beans are roasted. When
you roast unfermented beans, the beans taste horrible!
• Flavour development begins when the temperature of the beans is raised
to a high enough level during fermentation
• The level of heat required to start the flavour development process only
occurs in fermentation heaps/baskets with at least 50 pounds of wet
beans. The temperature does not get high enough to start flavour
development in a fermentation heap with a smaller quantity of beans
• The first part of the fermentation is done by bacteria that do not need air.
Therefore the first two days the heap is not mixed. The second part of the
fermentation process is done by bacteria that do need air. Therefore, after
the first two days the heap must be turned/mixed thoroughly every day to
allow air to reach all the beans
• Ferment beans for a total of 7 days (this is to be confirmed by
experiment).
Well fermented
Under fermented
Photo credit: Martin Gilmour
40
The table below shows the relationship between colour, degree of fermentation and
flavour.
Colour of beans Degree of fermentation Flavour of roasting

Brown Fully fermented Strong cocoa flavour, balance
of acidity, astringency and
bitterness
Brown/purple Partly fermented Good cocoa flavour, higher
(mauve) acidity, astringency and
bitterness
Purple Low fermentation Low cocoa flavour, strong
acidity, astringency and
bitterness
Greyish or black Unfermented Absence of cocoa flavour,
predominantly acid, astringent
and bitter. Overall sour
flavour
Farmer practices
• Some farmers don’t ferment their cocoa at all and simply dry the beans in the
sun. Others ferment for only 1 or 2 days. They may do this because they are
impatient and want to sell their beans quickly. From the outside you can’t tell
whether a bean has been fermented. You can only tell if a bean has been
fermented by cutting it open and looking at the colour.
• Some farmers use black plastic sheets to cover the fermentation heap. They
may do this because they think black plastic is more “modern”, plastic sheets
can be reused, or because there aren’t any banana trees around.
• Black plastic should not be used as it almost “seals” the heap and doesn’t allow
air to circulate during fermentation. This causes rotting rather than fermentation
and does not allow the flavour development process to take place. By contrast,
banana leaves allow air to penetrate into the heap.
• Some farmers ferment in wooden boxes or in plastic trays. The use of wooden
boxes should really only be used when there are very large quantities of cocoa
beans to ferment; they are not really suitable for small farmers, baskets with
leaves are best!
Best practices
After splitting the pod, scoop the beans directly in the basket
Cylindrical baskets are the best. They allow the heat to develop evenly. Traditional
baskets with a broad top let too much heat escape and are not suitabley.
Leave the beans ferment for 2 days. Than mix them thoroughly every day for five
days. Total fermentation time: 7 days (this is to be confirmed by experiment).
41
See: Discovery learning exercise 8: The effect of different lengths of fermentation
times
See: Discovery learning exercise 9: The effect of different quantities of beans on the
fermentation process
42
Drying
• Fermented cocoa must be dried. Drying cocoa beans reduces the growth
of mould and helps improve the flavour. Dried cocoa beans are easier to
store and to transport.
• In the rainy season beans dry more slowly than in the dry season. There is
no fixed drying time. Dry as long as necessary to get the beans dry!
• A properly fermented and dried bean should be brown in colour when you
cut the bean in half.
Farmer practices
Some farmers think cement drying floors are better because they are more modern.
But drying floors do not let air pass and get too hot: the beans “boil”. Also there is a
risk that goats or children walk through over the beans and damage them.
Best practises
Put mats on sticks. Spread the beans in a thin layer on the mat. Whenever
you pass and see a bad bean, pick it off the mat.
Advantage of using mats: if it suddenly starts raining you can easily scoop the
beans up and bring them inside. With the mats on sticks, the beans also dry
faster.
Dry until the beans are dry!
See: Discovery learning exercise 10: Drying cocoa on raised mats
43
Discovery learning exercise 7: Impact of harvesting time on fermentation
and cocoa quality
Several factors account for the poor quality of cocoa produced by some farmers.
These include harvesting pods at the wrong time, poor fermentation and drying
methods. Farmers harvest cocoa pods at the wrong time for many reasons including
the desire to get income quickly, lack of knowledge about the quantity of fresh beans
needed for fermentation and the relationship between harvesting time and quality.
Learning objective
Improve understanding of the maturation stages of cocoa pods and the physical
aspects of cocoa quality
Materials

• Markers
• 30-40 kg of fresh cocoa beans, preferably of the same variety, collected
from the following types of pods:
1st lot: Immature, green pods
2nd lot: Ripe pods, that is, pods that are half or 3/4 yellow
3rd lot: Over ripe pods, that is pods that are orange
4th lot: Pods attacked by black pod disease
Note: It is preferable to use beans from participants’ own farms rather than from the
FFS plots so as not to affect the harvest data
Materials usually used for fermentation

•
Fresh banana leaves
•
Four trays
•
1 very sharp pocket knife
•
Labels for the four fermentation lots
•
Materials usually used for sun drying, for example, a cement or raised
•
platform
Procedure
At harvest time, tour the FFS plot with participants, asking them to point out which
pods are ready for harvesting and which are not.
Return to a central place. List on a flip chart the factors farmers consider when
deciding when to harvest. Discuss to what extent each factor provides flexibility for
harvesting later.
Cover the four lots of beans to be fermented with the banana leaves and place heavy
objects on top of each pile.
44
Ferment and dry as usual for the specific varieties.
After drying, randomly select 100 seeds from each lot and put them on the four trays.
With the pocket-knife, cut each bean longitudinally and observe physical aspects.
Observations
Take a handful of dried beans from each lot and squeeze between your fingers.
Note which beans make a cracking sound.
Observe and compare the difference in colour between the different lots of
cocoa
.Observe and compare the physical aspects of the cut seeds and determine the
number/percentages of:
Brown/purple or purple, compact beans
Germinated beans
Flat beans
1) Are there colour differences between the beans from the different lots?
What is the difference?
2) Which lots have the worst quality beans?
3) What do you think explains the defects that you observe?
4) Do the differences between the lots of cocoa affect price? How?
5) What have you learned from this exercise?
6) What is the ideal amount for a fermentation heap? Why is the amount
in a fermentation heap important?
7) What can farmers who harvest small quantities at a time do to increase

their fermentation load?
45
Discovery learning exercise 8: Impact of duration of fermentation on
bean quality
Farmers often feel under pressure to sell their cocoa as quickly as possible so they
do not ferment the beans properly. Only good quality, well fermented cocoa can be
sold for export and it is important that the cocoa is fermented properly.
Learning objective
To improve understanding of the fermentation process and learn how to recognise

when beans are properly fermented.
Materials

• Markers
• 90 kg (200lbs) cocoa beans from properly ripe pods
• 2 cylindrical fermentation basket
• Banana leaves
• Sharp pocket knife
Note
Use beans from participants’ own farms rather than from the FFS plots so as not to
affect the harvest data
Procedure
Allow the participants to select properly ripe, healthy pods, these should be split and
the beans prepared for fermentation in the normal way (removal of damaged beans,
pod debris etc.).
Line the cylindrical baskets with banana leaves and fill them with equal quantities of
cocoa beans.
Allow to ferment for 2 days (48 hours).
Stir the beans in each basket very thoroughly using hands (carefully because the
mass of beans will be very hot) or a wooden paddle. Do not use any metal tools.
Re-cover the tops of the baskets with the banana leaves.
After a further 24 hours stir the beans again, very thoroughly.
Remove a sample of 100 beans from each basket, do not take the beans from just
one place but from everywhere in the mass of beans. The sample beans will be very
messy and sticky. Re-cover the baskets to allow fermentation to continue.
Keep the 2 samples separate S1 and S2) and using the pocket knife cut the beans in
half lengthwise. Examine the cut beans and record the numbers of each colour
found.
46
Repeat the mixing of the beans, the removal of samples and the ‘cut test’ each day
until the ninth day after fermentation was started (7 samples examined)
Observations
• Count the number of beans that fall into each category as described in the
section concerned with fermentation:
Grey/black → unfermented
Purple → low fermentation
Brown/purple → partly fermented
Brown → fully fermented
• Record the results in a table similar to the one below
Test duration of Grey/Black Purple Brown/purple Brown

num fermen-
S1 S2 Av S1 S2 Av S1 S2 Av S1 S2 Av
ber tation
1 3
2 4
3 5
4 6
5 7
6 8
7 9
• Calculate the percentages of each category and relate them to the number
of days of fermentation
• Record the prevailing weather conditions throughout the period of

fermentation (hot and sunny; raining and cool etc.)
1) Do the percentages of each ‘fermentation category’ change as the time of

fermentation increases?
2) Which period of fermentation do you think gave the best result?
3) Is this the same as the time of fermentation you use on your farm?
4) Do you think you need to change anything when you ferment cocoa on your
farm?
5) Do you think anything besides time can affect fermentation?
6) If so, what are these other factors?
47
Discovery learning exercise 9: Impact of quantity of beans on the
fermentation process and cocoa quality
This exercise should be carried out after the correct fermentation time has been
established with Exercise 8
Cocoa trees that are very old or badly maintained do not yield many pods, this
means that some farmers have only a small quantity of beans to ferment, particularly
if they harvest at irregular intervals, whenever they think they have the time between
other tasks, such as harvesting their rice.
Successful fermentation depends on the mass of cocoa beans becoming hot very
quickly and this is not possible if there is only a small quantity of beans in the basket.
Learning objective
To find out what quantity of cocoa beans is required to obtain successful

fermentation and produce good quality cocoa
Materials

• Markers
• 160 kg (350 lbs) cocoa beans from properly ripe pods
• Scale
• 3 cylindrical fermentation baskets
• Labels for baskets
• Banana leaves
• Sharp pocket knife
Note
Use beans from participants’ own farms rather than from the FFS plots so as not to
affect the harvest data
Procedure
Allow the participants to select properly ripe, healthy pods; these should be split and
the beans prepared for fermentation in the normal way (removal of damaged beans,
pod debris etc.).
Line the 3 cylindrical baskets with banana leaves, label them 50, 100 and 200 and
put 50lbs, 100lbs and 200lbs of fresh cocoa beans into the appropriate basket. Cover
as for normal fermentation.
Allow to ferment for 2 days (48 hours) and then stir the beans in each basket very
thoroughly using hands (carefully because the mass of beans may be very hot) or a
wooden paddle. Do not use any metal tools. Re-cover the baskets with the banana
leaves.
48
After a further 24 hours stir the beans again very thoroughly and re-cover. Stir the
beans thoroughly every 24 hours until the number of days that gave the best result in
Discovery Learning Exercise 8 have passed from the time the beans were first
placed in the baskets (likely to be around 4 stirrings)
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day x Day Day Day x+3

x+1 x+2
Add Allow Remove
beans heat to Stir Stir Stir Stir beans
generate and test
On the final day remove 3 samples of 100 beans from each basket and using the
sharp knife, cut the sample beans in half lengthwise. Examine the beans and record
the numbers of each fermentation category present; this is determined by colour, as
explained in the section concerned with Fermentation and Discovery Learning
Exercises 7 and 8.
Observations
• Count the number of beans in each sample that fall into each category as
described in the section concerned with fermentation:
Grey/black → unfermented
Purple → low fermentation
Brown/purple → partly fermented
Brown → fully fermented
• Record the results in a table similar to the one below
Basket Sample no. Grey/black Purple Brown/purple Brown

size
1
50 lbs 2
3
Average
1
100 lbs 2
3
Average
1
200 lbs 2
3
49
Average
• Calculate the percentages of each category and relate them to the weight
of beans in the basket
• Record the prevailing weather conditions throughout the period of

fermentation (hot and sunny; raining and cool etc.)
1) Do the percentages of each ‘fermentation category’ differ according to the

weight of cocoa beans in the fermentation basket?
2) Which weight of cocoa gave the best result?
3) Why do you think the quantity of beans in the basket might affect the
fermentation?
4) What weight of coca beans (size of basket) do you use on your farm?
5) Do you think you should change the way you ferment your cocoa to improve
the quality?
6) Do you know of any other ways that you can ferment your cocoa?
7) What do think the advantages or disadvantages of these alternative methods
might be?
If the quantity of cocoa beans to get good fermentation is important, how will you
ensure that you have the correct quantity after each harvest?
50
Discovery learning exercise 10: Drying cocoa on raised mats
Proper drying is important for ensuring good cocoa quality. While drying on cemented
floors is common among cocoa farmers in West Africa, the process can be improved
through simple technologies such as using raised, covered mats.
Learning objective
To dry cocoa faster and protect drying cocoa from contamination, dew and rain
Materials
• Cement floors (at least 2 m x 2 m size)

• Mats made from the rachis of palm fronds (at least 2 m x 2 m size)
raised1.2 m from the ground on wooden supports
• About 100 pounds of well fermented cocoa beans
• 2 cocoa bean mixing paddles
• Flip chart and markers
Procedure
Introduce the subject of drying and the objectives of the exercise.
Ask participants to form two groups. One group will dry their cocoa on a cement floor;
the other will dry cocoa on a raised mat.
Ask each group to spread out at least 25 kg of beans (with a thickness of 3-4 cm) to
dry using the relevant method. During the first two days, each group should mix the
beans every hour and then three or four times per day. Ensure that the group
working with the mat brings the beans inside if it rains.
After spreading out the beans, facilitate a discussion of the benefits, ease of use and
potential problem of each drying method.
Over the next two weeks, each group is responsible for drying the beans until they
are fully dried. Groups should note any problems or observation related to the drying
process, as well as the time it takes to fully dry the beans.
After 2 weeks, ask each group to report on the method they observed; organise a
discussion by the whole school on the two methods.
If facilities permit a third treatment can be included. It is similar to the raised mat, but
allows the cocoa to be covered with a waterproof sheet to protect the drying cocoa
from any rainfall.
51
1) What are the differences between the drying methods used?
2) Which method dried the beans faster?
3) Which method best protects the beans from contamination or damage?
4) How much does each method cost? Which method is easier and cheaper to
use?
5) What are the limitations of each method and how can they be overcome?
52
Part 3: THE CO-OPERATIVE, ITS MEMBERS AND ITS ROLE
IN MARKETING
53
The role of the co-operative in marketing
Importance
After putting so much effort into producing cocoa, farmers want to get a good price.
But one farmer alone can not negotiate very well with a trader. If the trader thinks the
price is too high, he will just go to the next farmer.
If farmers are organised and together produce cocoa of the highest quality they can
better negotiate as a group.
As a group, farmers can also organise other things together. You have already
benefited from that: this Farmer Field School was organized by the co-operative.
Farmers’ perception
Many the co-operative members think they sell to the co-operative as any other
company. But they are members of the co-operative. The co-operative is owned by
them. So they are selling to themselves.
Best practices
In fact farmers do not sell to the co-operative. But the co-operative, as a

collective organisation, sells the cocoa on behalf of its members.
To make the co-operative a successful organisation, its members should sell

all their good-quality cocoa through the co-operative.
See: Discovery learning exercise 11 on collective marketing
54
The responsibilities of co-operative members
Importance
The co-operative is a member-based organization. The members own the co-

operative. It is therefore important that they participate in its decision making. It is
also important that they know why they have become a member, what are the
benefits of being a co-operative member. The co-operative spends money to deliver
these benefits, and therefore members need to pay registration and annual fees. It is
not fair if some members pay their fees and other members do not.
The co-operative organises Farmer Field Schools. These can be of large benefit to
the farmers, but only if they attend regularly. The co-operative spends money and
makes efforts to organise the FFS. If farmers do not come, these expenses and
efforts have been made for nothing. In addition, farmers learn through the FFS how
to produce good quality cocoa, so that the co-operative can sell it for a good price. If
farmers do not attend regularly, their cocoa will remain of poor quality and the price
they receive will remain low as well.
Current situation
Members often do not pay their fees.
Some members do not attend the FFS regularly.
Some villages were not represented at the Annual General Meeting.
Farmers are often indebted with traders and therefore forced to sell their cocoa to
them instead of through the co-operative.
Best practices
All members pay their fees. The amount of the fees is decided by the Annual General
Meeting, but should reflect the costs of running the co-operative.
All villages send the established number of representatives to the Annual General
Meeting so that they have a voice in the decisions about the co-operative.
All farmers participate regularly in the FFS session or give due notice to the facilitator
if they can not attend a session for specific reasons.
All members make their good-quality cocoa available to the co-operative. They will
only sell to other buyers if the co-operative does not have the demand or possibility
to sell their cocoa.
See: Discovery learning exercise 12: Responsibilities of co-operative members
55
Gender
Importance
The co-operative membership is open to all cocoa and coffee producers in the
chiefdoms served by the co-operative, irrespective of gender, religion, tribe or race.
Husbands and wives can also register as individual members. The co-operative also
stimulates participation of women in its decision making structure.
Nevertheless, such an active role in decision making is not common practice in

Sierra Leone.
Best practices
The co-operative members understand that women and men have different biological
characteristics but can have similar social characteristics.
The co-operative members understand that both men and women are capable to
represent the interest of their village in co-operative meetings and committee’s.
Men and women may have different roles in society and therefore can have a
different point of view. Therefore it is important that both men and women are
represented in the meetings at different levels of the co-operative structure.
See: discovery learning exercise 13 and 14
56
Discovery learning exercise 11: Collective marketing
Learning objective
If you join forces, your negotiating position becomes better
Material
- As many eggs as there are participants (or cassava roots or bananas or yams or
other items that farmers may sell).
- Sufficient money (in the egg example 5,000 leones in coins/notes of 500 leones)
Procedure
First round
The facilitator selects among the participants 1 trader. The rest of the participants will
have to spread out in the room as far from each other as possible. The facilitator will
go outside the room to give the trader the following instruction and the 5,000 leones
in coins/notes of 500 leones. It is important the other participants do not hear this.
Instruction to trader:
“You are a trader from town. A shop in town needs 10 eggs. They promise to pay you
5,000 leones (500 leones per egg). You travel to ... village (name of FFS village) to
buy the eggs from the farmers. The transport costs 1000 leones. So to make a profit,
you need to buy the 10 eggs for less than 4000 leones, or less than 400 leones per
egg. You know that the price the farmer normally gets in the village market is 300
leones.”
Then the facilitator presents the trader to the participants:

“This is trader .... from .... (name of town). He travels to your village to buy eggs. In
your village market 1 egg normally costs 300 leones. The trader has first gone to the
market but the eggs were not fresh. But as a result he knows the market price of 300
leones. The trader will negotiate with each of you individually to buy your egg. You
want the highest possible price, but the trader wants to pay the cheapest price
possible. The trader only needs 10 eggs. There are many more eggs, so some of you
will not be able to sell your egg. Those of you who do not manage to sell to the trader
will have to sell it in your village market for 300 leones.”
“The trader also faced transport costs to come here of 1000 leones.”
Now the trader starts negotiating with the farmers one by one for their eggs. When
somebody offers a good price, (s)he buys the egg, until (s)he has bought 10 eggs.
After the trader has bought the 10 eggs, the facilitator notes on the flip chart the price
paid for each egg. The average price per egg is calculated.
No discussion is held at this point!
57
second round
Now the exercise is repeated. Another trader is selected. When the trader is outside
the room, the facilitator instructs the group.
Group instruction:
“You have decided to form an association. You select a representative and give your
eggs to the representative. The representative is going to negotiate for the whole
group. of course you want to sell as many eggs as possible, but also for the best
price possible”
The facilitator gives the 5,000 leones to the trader (but no instructions!).
The representative presents him/herself to the trader and they start their
negotiations.
After the representative sold as many eggs for the best possible price, the facilitator
put the total price on the flip chart. He calculates the average sales prices per egg for
the farmer.
Now also the profit the trader made in the first round is calculated. (With the
knowledge of the maximum price of 5,000 leones for 10 eggs that the shopkeeper
was prepared to pay.)
Guide questions for discussion:
- In which case was the average farmer price for the sold eggs the highest?
- Were the number of eggs sold to the trader the same in both cases?
- What was the main difference in the negotiations between the two rounds?
- Did the farmers sell their eggs to the representative?
- The time of the representative was not compensated. But what if the representative
needs to work for the association every day and he does not have time any more to
work on his farm?
- In the last case, maybe still some eggs were not sold and it was not clear whose
egg was sold and whose egg was not sold. How could the association solve this
problem?
- Are there similarities between the village representative selling eggs, and the co-
operative exporting cocoa? And differences?
58
Discovery learning exercise 12: Responsibilities of co-operative
members
Learning objective: When becoming a member of the co-operative you will not only
share in the benefits, but also in the responsibilities
Procedure
Ask why the participants have become member of the co-operative and list them on
the flip chart. Leave a lot of space between all the reasons. When all reasons
(=benefits) have been listed, discuss them one by one.
For example, one reason may have been to participate in the FFS. Now ask the
participants what is necessary for the FFS to function well.
Another reason to become member may be to sell their cocoa. What makes the co-
operative capable to sell their cocoa?
The result on the flip chart may look a bit as follow:
reason to become a member what does the co-operative need to

deliver this benefit to its members?
to sell cocoa a buyer
transport/a truck
a store
cocoa from farmers
....
to receive a high price good quality cocoa
a good buyer
a good negotiator for the contract
....
to participate in the FFS facilitator
flip charts, markers etc.
participants
....
Now go through the list of “needs”. Ask the participants for which of these “needs” the
farmers are directly responsible? (selling cocoa to the co-operative, cocoa quality,
participating in FFS etc.)
For which “needs” is the co-operative as an organization responsible? (store etc.)

And who makes sure these things are organised?
Does this cost money? How is this paid for?
Who is making the decisions of what is most important and what is less important?
Who decides how high membership fees are?
Can we now complete the list of responsibilities of the co-operative members?

(Make sure that paying membership fees and participating in village meetings and
election of village representatives is part of the list)
59
Discovery learning exercise 13: Women’s and men’s characteristics and
their capabilities in participating in co-operative meetings and
committee’s
adapted from: FAO/MARD/CFWS, 1996, Vietnam National IPM Programme Field guide on gender and IPM
Objectives
Discuss and analyze statements about the characteristics and roles of women and
men in relation to their participation in co-operative village executive committee’s,
Annual General Meetings and the co-operative Management Board.
Material
Flip chart, markers, an AGREE FACE and a DISAGREE FACE
Procedure
Draw a picture of a woman on the top left side of the chart and a picture of a man on
the top right.
Ask the participants to describe characteristics of men and women and list them
under the pictures. Make sure there is are at least two characteristics that can not be
changed (women give birth, men can grow a beard, men are usually physically
stronger than women etc.), that there are at least two typical activities (for example
that women cook the meals, men get drunk more often, men are responsible for the
cash crops and women for the food crops) and at least two characteristics or
capabilities that can be changed (such as: women are more sensitive, men are better
speakers in public, men stick to their decisions, women listen better, more men can
read and write/speak better English etc.).
Now stick up the AGREE FACE and the DISAGREE FACE in two different places.
Divide the participants in small groups of about 5 persons.
Read one of the non-changeable characteristics and ask the participants if they all
agree with this characteristic. The groups decide and the representative of the group
moves to the appropriate face. Ask the representatives of the groups to explain why
their group chose that position.
Now repeat this exercise by reading one of the typical activities.
Now repeat this exercise again for one of the changeable characteristics or
capabilities.
What female and male characteristics can not be changed?
Are these characteristics very important for the capabilities of women and men to
participate in co-operative meetings and committee’s?
60
Are there some characteristics that are true for most women or most men but not
always? Why?
Of all the characteristics and capabilities identified, which ones are important for
participation in co-operative meetings and committee’s?
What is more important, the differences between the average male and average
female characteristics or the differences between two individual people?
Are women prepared to elect men in their village executive committee? Are men
prepared to elect women in their village executive committee?
61
Discovery learning exercise 14: Women’s and men’s roles in cocoa
production
Adapted from: FAO/MARD/CFWS, 1996, Vietnam National IPM Programme Field guide on gender and IPM
Objective: Discuss and analyze the roles and responsibilities of women and men in
cocoa production. Discuss who should participate in co-operative decision making
about cocoa.
Material
Flip chart and marker
Procedure
List all the activities discussed in the FFS programme:
1. field work
- underbrushing
- pruning
- shade management
- removal of diseased pods
2. harvest and primary processing
- harvesting
- storage of pods
- pod splitting
- fermentation
- drying
- storage of dried beans
3. marketing
- price negotiation/selling
Ask the participants for each activity if the activity is done by women or by men or by
both.
When we look at the roles of women and men in cocoa productions, is it important for
women to participate in the FFS? And for men?
And is it important for men to participant in the co-operative meetings and

committees? And for women?
62
Cocoa-FFS calendar of activities (for Sierra Leone situation)
May June July August September October November December January

TOT Facilitator Refresher
training course
Number of sessions 3 3 3 3 4 2 2 4
Topics 1st session AES* + RK AES* + AES* + AES* + RK AES* + RK AES* + AES* + RK AES* + RK
(page (p7,e1) RK RK (p7,e1) (p7,e1) RK (p7,e1) (p7,e1)
and (p7,e1) (p7,e1) (p7,e1)
exercise 2nd Rehabilitation Under- Under- Harvest/(pod Fermentation Drying Rehabilitation Shade
number) session (p7) brushing brushing selection (p40,e8)** (p43) (p7, e6) management
Pruning (p8,e2) + (p8,e2) + (p38,e7) analysis (p11,e4)
(p10, e3) Sanitation Sanitation exp. 10
(p9,e5) (p9,e5)
3rd Pruning Collective Responsi- Fermentation Fermentation Gender
session (p10, e3) + marketing bilities of (p40) + (p40,e8)** (p56,
shade (p54, e11) members drying (p43) e13,14)
management (p55,e12) Prepare
(p11,e4) platform
4th Fermentation Responsibi-
session (p40,e8)** lities
+ (p55,e12) +
Start drying preparing
exp. (e10) for AGA
* AESA = Agro-Ecosystem Analysis, RK = Record Keeping

Observe 5 trees in rehabilitated area and 5 trees in non-rehabilitated area and note number of pods, diseased pods etc. (see discovery learning
exercise 1). Keep record of all activities, the inputs, the labour and the output. The first session of each month should start with AESA + RK
** the fermentation experiment needs 7 short sessions plus final analysis in 8 consecutive days. These count for a total of 3 normal sessions.
63

Organic Cocoa Production: A Guide For Farmer Field Schools in Sierra Leone

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Organic Cocoa Production: A Guide For Farmer Field Schools in Sierra Leone

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Organic Cocoa Production:

A guide for Farmer Field Schools in Sierra Leone

S. David. 2005. Learning about sustainable cocoa production: a guide for

training material developed by the Farmer Field Schools

For the full STCP manual:

Sustainable Tree Crops Program

For the other modules the following applies:

All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information

Chupon Vertical stem or shoot (water shoot)

Imago The sexually mature stage of an insect's life cycle

Integrated crop and pest management

Nymph The immature stage in an insect life cycle

Pest A living organism that we consider harmful because it attacks and

Spore Disease “seeds” of a fungus

Systemic fungicide Fungicides that are absorbed by the cocoa tree

Farmer Field Schools

Objective: Participants produce export quality cocoa in sufficient quantities to fulfil

Topic Constraints What farmers need to know How

o Good (20 or more pods per tree)

There are three approaches:

o Rehabilitation: bringing existing trees into better production. This involves

See: Discovery learning exercise 1 on “Agro-ecosystem analysis”

Most farms need 3 or 4 underbrushings per year.

See: Discovery learning exercise 1 on “Agro-ecosystem analysis”

Remove all black pods immediately after every underbrushing.

Pruning leads to:

• Reduced pests and diseases and therefore increased production: Tall

Maintenance pruning can be done at any time of the year

Farmers should know what is the right level of shade.

How to remove big shade trees?

See: Discovery learning exercise 4: Impact of shading on humidity in a cocoa farm

Adapted from: 1STCP: Farmer Training Guide on ICPM Cocoa

• Improve participants’ observational skills and decision-making abilities

Back at the central point

NOTE: It is important to bring Agro-EcoSystem Analysis (AESA) presentations and

Preparing to start AESA/ first session

1st session in June:

Next AESA session

• Weather (sunny, cloudy, rainy)

• Shade coverage (heavy, medium, light, unshaded)

What needs to be done to do to address the observed problems?

Is there a difference in the average and total number of small/large/mature

After presentations, the school must agree on what action decisions to be

Date:……………………………. Group: ………………………

Village:…………………………… Farmer: ………………………

Type of plot (do-everything or do-nothing): ……………………..

General information on plots and wider

Agronomic parameters (to be collected Selected cocoa trees total average

No. of small pods*

Number of natural enemies

Number of pods affected by disease

Draw one large

At the base of the plant draw the weeds found and

• Cocoa seedlings in polyethylene bags

Discuss what are the functions of each part:

After two weeks observe the difference between the seedlings.

1) What would happen if the plant had no roots?

Source: 1STCP: Farmer Training Guide on ICPM Cocoa

• Un-pruned cocoa trees

Start a discussion on local practices, knowledge and beliefs on pruning.

Guide questions for discussion:

Look for the following branches to prune:

Flower and cocoa pod production